Qishani

25Qishani industry flourished in Syria, particularly in Rakka city at the beginning of the sixteenth century and then grew until it reached a high degree of creativity. It started in the Mamluki and Othmanian era in which they used Qishani in Dimashqi mosques and old houses.

  • Forms of Qishani:

Qishani is earthenware covered with a thin white crust with a transparent shiny white paint over drawings with black borders. As for color, either green or bright blue or dark red, and often added to these colors like red color of tomatoes. Qishani mostly comes in forms of square slabs; rectangular or hexagonal or triangular. On each slab they draw a decorative theme either repeatedly or intermittent parts of a whole subject of a great consistent ornamentation.

  • Qishani Industry:

I24t is made of white sand mixed with gypsum then it is poured into molds according to the desired shape. Then they write verses, sayings and poems on its surface or they paint it with different inscriptions using consolidation substances. Then they scatter it with glass powder or glass coated using a gluing liquid. After that, it is placed in a special oven to be grilled so the glass flows over it and cover it to protect it for a long time. Qishani industry takes a long time when it is handmade so that each piece takes time. It is difficult to work on this craft in winter because it needs a long time to the pieces and tables.